While it is well known that infants and small children require relatively large amounts of time and attention, parents are typically finding increasing demands upon their time. It has become more and more difficult to devote time to an infant or child when it is common for both parents to work, and additionally to shop and perform other necessary errands and chores to support a household. Further, a single parent household has become a relatively common occurrence, and such a single parent finds even less time to devote to the care of an infant or small child due to the lack of another parent with which to share various chores. In response to the above problems, various devices have been developed which provide for the hands free carriage of an infant or small child by an adult, thereby allowing the adult to perform routine chores while still caring for the infant.
Insofar as infants and small children are concerned, it has become generally accepted that the greater the intellectual stimulation for such a child, the better for the child. While various devices are known which permit a parent to carry an infant or small child, particularly in a position in front of the parent in order to achieve better emotional security for the child, in many cases it may be preferable for the child to face forward in order to begin to develop skills for interaction with the World at large. However, the typical infant carrier does not permit the infant to face away from the adult carrying the infant, and those that do typically carry the infant on the back of the adult where the adult cannot readily monitor the condition of the infant. While infant carriers providing for the forward facing carriage of an infant in front of an adult are known, such carriers fail to provide the necessary security for the carried infant or small child.
The need arises for a carrier for infants or small children, which carrier places the child in front of the adult carrying the infant. The carrier must also be capable of carrying the child so the child faces forward, and moreover must provide adequate security for the child carried therein.